In the Latter Day Saint movement, a covenant is a promise made between God and a person or a group of people.[1] God sets the conditions of the covenant, and as the conditions are met, he blesses the person who entered into and kept the covenant.[1] If the covenant is violated, blessings are withheld and in some cases a penalty or punishment is inflicted.[1]
Latter Day Saint leaders teach that just as the God of Israel asked the children of Israel to be a covenant people, "a peculiar treasure unto me ... a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation,"[2] today God has asked for a latter-day people who will make and keep covenants with him. All covenants are considered part of the overarching "new and everlasting covenant" of the gospel.[3]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) teaches that one enters a covenant through a ritual or a visible sign.[4] Some leaders have taught that a covenant is always associated with an ordinance.[5] Other leaders have suggested that commandments that include promised blessings for compliance—such as the law of tithing and Word of Wisdom—also constitute covenants.[6]
In the LDS Church, ordinances which are accompanied by covenants include baptism and confirmation;[7] reception of the Melchizedek priesthood;[8] the temple endowment;[9] and celestial marriage.[10] These are known as "saving ordinances" and are a requirement for exaltation.[11]
Officially, partaking of the sacrament is considered by the LDS Church to be a renewal of the covenants made at baptism;[4][12] however, some Latter-day Saint leaders have taught that doing so constitutes a renewal of all covenants a person has made.[13]
